A Bonding Experience
by Unconstructed Dream Space
Summary: Just your everyday interactions with our favorite red bird and green archer. Platonic.
1. Staring

A/N: Okay, I couldn't help it; I just love this series so much that I had to write something! Especially Artemis and Robin's relationship, they are so cute! And I ship them platonically because, well, I think it's a lot more fulfilling that way.

Oh, um, I'm new to this DC World-fandom, so correct me if I'm wrong in anything! Uh, this is sort of vignette collection or one-shot, actually, I don't know, but it doesn't have an overall plot so...yeah. Anyways, this will focus _mostly_ on Artemis and Robin's relationship, not much action (I think), but just your everyday interactions… in a superhero type of situation? Yeah… soooo, enjoy!

AND HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE LATEST EPISODE? OH MY GOODNESS THAT WAS SOME DELICIOUS ACTION RIGHT THERE. AUGHAHKSDJGF, I'M STILL FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT! (clears throat) Anyways:

Disclaimer: I do not own this series, I wish I did, but I don't, and I'm glad I don't because I wouldn't be able to create such a wonderful series. Also, the breaks (those periods) I would like to give credit to Tiger Lily Roar the awesome saucing writer of _Linchpin_, also a Young Justice fanfiction! LOVE IT!

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><p>First Bond: Staring<p>

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Even though Artemis was a little _new_ at this superhero business, she's still an able bodied, capable person who is more than qualified in taking care of herself. Seriously, why would anybody doubt something as simple as that? Anyways, that's beside the point.

What _was_ the point was that she had caught him staring at her. _Again_.

That's right, staring. The kind of staring that he didn't even bother hiding that he was staring. Not in the lustrous way, or rude way, no he was much more… _mature_ to even think about looking at her in that way. Or he might be too young, whatever, she digresses.

"What?" It came out curtly, harsh, but Artemis didn't mean to sound that way, she was just a little _miffed_ about being watched at all day like an animal on display. The boy gave her a simple grin and went on his merry way, bewildering the archer.

She gave his retreating back an odd look, what was wrong with that boy?

It was almost as if they shared an inside joke but only he knew the punch line. The archer hmphed, she'd love to give him a punch to put him in line.

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Okay, now it was getting a little creepy.

Recently, Artemis felt like she was being watched everywhere. And not the good kind either. Every single move she made was cataloged; her favorite foods and reading material was carefully filed away inside the mind of the most unlikely person on the team. Well, everyone was unlikely to, except Kaldur, he _was_ the leader and all.

But at this very moment, that did not apply. Kaldur was in fact sitting on the couch, his back turned to her. He was watching Conner and Wally go fanatic over a video game—more like Wally getting frustrated every single time Conner would accidentally destroy the remote.

_So_, was he watching her?

Nope. Not even a glance her way.

And who was the person sitting right in front of her, staring at her like a hawk—or the bird of his namesake?

Robin. That's right, the Boy Wonder himself.

Artemis contemplated how he could even see through his sunglasses in the first place but shook her head, he was already a mystery, let's just leave it at that. He was sitting at the counter, across from her, playing with his water bottle, tipping it right and left, right—slosh—left—slosh, right, left, slosh, slosh—

Argh, it was driving her crazy!

No, she wasn't going to let it bother her, she has to stay calm.

Slosh, slosh, slosh—

Artemis reached over, grabbed the water bottle right out of Robin's hands and set it on the table with a loud **smack**. She glared over her magazine, warning Robin. The corners of the boy's mouth twitched upwards as he picked up his drink and took a swig.

It had been—what, a couple of days already since the invasion? The League was still looking into the surprise visit from Red Tornado's 'extended family' and disappearance, along with the fact that the person—machine—in question went officially AWOL as well. Ever since then, Robin has been—how could she say this without making it sound sort of less creepy? Or without invoking the subtle anxiety within her? Well, anyways, he's just been spending a lot of time near the vicinity of her person and she was fine with that, really she was. He was like… like a…huh, she really couldn't think of a word for it right now, but it was on the tip of her tongue. Okay, she digresses again.

With Robin's constant 'staring' caused a little alarm going off in her head. Only a little though. He could've been asked by Batman or Kaldur to watch over her, like a sort of bonding experience she guessed. Sounds reasonable enough since they spent time together rescuing the team. So it shouldn't have taken any longer than one to two days, right? Except it did. She thought of the possibility that they might not think she was able to handle the situation well or… or… some other reason she couldn't think of!

And so far, nothing bad as happened (yet), so why does Robin keep staring at her?

Who knows but it was really getting on her nerves.

"Robin,"

"Yeah?" The sloshing stopped and she wondered when he had started again.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Um… no, why?"

"Then stop staring at me!" She made a point to look up from the magazine (she was getting tired of rereading the same sentence) to give him an annoyed glare. Yet, he was apparently unfazed as he gave her an amused smile. They started to have a staring contest when Robin didn't stop, each one not backing down. Then, Robin pointed to the corner of his mouth.

"Actually, you do have a little something on your face, _right__ there_."


	2. Similarities

A/N: Something short and simple, you just gotta love the little moments, you know?

**To RobinIsAwesome**: Okay, I'm just going to pretend I know what you're laughing about and join you! Hahaha! Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own this series, I wonder when I'll get tired of saying this?

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><p>Second Bond: Similarities<p>

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"_Hey__ Artemis_!"

The blonde archer nearly jumped out of her skin as she whipped around to the source of the voice. "Robin!" Artemis immediately glared at the younger boy, "You have got to stop doing that."

The Boy Wonder brushed it off with a smirk. "So, what brings you here to _Gotham __City_? Since, you know, Green Arrow lives in _Star __City_."

She could detect the intentional emphasis on the two cities and cringed.

"I was just…" She looked around and somehow her hand made it to the back of her neck, "visiting my… cousin! Yeah, she lives here…in Gotham."

"Ah, that's cool, the one who was in the spelling bee, right?"

"Spelling bee…? Oh! Yeah, right, the one who was in the spelling bee. Right." Artemis mentally slapped herself, stop repeating everything!

"N-I-C-E. You're really close to your cousin, you know, to have to travel from _Star__ City_ to _Gotham__ City_." Robin made motions from one hand to another, making Artemis narrow her eyes at him. He was practically repeating everything like Wally would do to bait her into doing something. Mental note, teach Wally a lesson for corrupting kids, even if said kid has a tendency to do similar things. And, it was really getting on her nerves.

"_I __am_." The archer snapped and then pointed with her thumb towards the transporter disguised as an out of serviced phone booth. "Let's just go to the cave already."

"Ladies first," Robin made a sweeping gesture, looking up with a playful smirk. Artemis crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Are we really going to have to go through this again?" Robin shrugged and entered the phone booth before she could say anything else. A flash of light later and Artemis breathed a sigh of relief, she has to stop coming _right_ when they call for her.

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"Hey!"

Artemis almost spat the apple juice out of her mouth. What was with everyone trying to scare the shit out of her this week? Not like she was easy to scare, no way. But she should have known if anybody tried sneaking up on her, well, except for one person…

She glared over her shoulder, fighting the urge to swear and punch the person in the face. She said in the calmest voice she could muster, "Please don't do that."

"Haha, sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you," The boy much younger than her grinned charmingly at her, looking oddly familiar. "So, how do you like Gotham Academy so far?"

Artemis studied him suspiciously; he was that kid who had taken a picture of her on her first day of school. Why on earth was he talking to her?

"It's…alright," She said slowly, placing her apple juice on the bench next to her.

He smiled pleasantly and nodded, "Ah, that's cool."

Something in the archer's mind clicked and she felt her eyes widened fractionally. Was it just her, or was she feeling a weird case of déjà vu, right now? Alright, that's it, she wasn't going to let this go any further until she knew exactly who this kid was. She stood up, crossed her arms and looked down at the younger boy. "Who are you again?"

The black haired boy made a wounded face that almost convinced her, except for his surprisingly bright blue eyes, they were filled with mischief and mirth. Definitely _not_ a good combination.

"Ouch!" He placed a hand where his heart is, "I'm hurt! So hurt that you don't even recognize me! And after all we've been through…"

Artemis narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not finding his little act amusing and said in a dangerously low voice, "What are you talking about?"

It seemed like he was about to say something else but the bell rang. He looked irritated, judging from the immediate furrow of his brow but it was gone in a second, smoothing to the same grin he threw at her at the beginning of their conversation.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later then!" The boy said, mock saluting and went off in the opposite direction before Artemis got the chance to stop him.

"Hey, wait!" Artemis turned to grab her backpack and was about to track him down when she found herself in a sea of students.

Great, just great.


	3. There

A/N: Hey you guys! GAH, I seriously wanted to update at least on Thanksgiving but life isn't always as you plan (SIGH). Anywhoo, the reason why I wasn't able to update ASAP was because I had no idea what to write. I mean, I do, I've already written (and I mean, **physically**** written**) what I wanted to type out, but it's just… not in chronological order. Okay, the background of this chapter was that I kept debating what to do right after chapter 2 because I felt like this chapter was way too soon and…well, yeah, so I just decided that I might as well write this anyway _and_ it's good practice! Soooo, this is just a little (fail) character study of Robin, I think. It counts, doesn't it?

**To**** TheNightwingFan**: : ) I'm so glad your interested! And I hope I can keep it until the very end!

**To**** Links****Only****Grl**: XD THANKS SO MUCH!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome series… I'm surprisingly not tired of saying this.

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><p>Third Bond: There<p>

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"_Hahaha_!"

Okay, Robin has to admit, messing with Artemis was just too much fun. Awful, jerk-worthy that even Wally would be proud of, and definitely disastrous (heavy on the dis-) for his health and well being should he ever push her far enough, but still, a lot of fun. The look on Artemis' face? _Hilarious_!

The archer narrowed her stormy gray eyes, clearly exasperated. Robin just gave her his signature insufferable smirk while tapping a rhythm on the table before standing up. He decided it was time to go (escape is more like it) since Artemis looked about ready to strangle him. Robin now understood (enough) why Wally would start something with her, even though he knew it was just belligerent sexual tension, he understood nonetheless.

Robin hummed as he walked down the hallway, his hands in his pockets. The way she reacts was just so… so… _amusing_! Her surprised looks were the ones he liked the most—love, in fact because she was just so easily riled up. Or the way she would jump whenever he calls to her while they're at school and he just starts randomly talking to her because he _knows_ she _doesn__'__t __know_ who he is. He loves that, even outside of the team, she's still the same Artemis, if not more patient. She didn't act any different from her superheroine self, only her aggression being slightly more subdued and her patience having a longer time limit. She was consistent; a surprising but pleasant constant variable in his life.

"Sometimes I wonder if he's like this when he's **not** Robin."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but even so, with Robin's highly trained ears, he heard it. Needless to stay, he froze, staring at the space between his feet. Everywhere stood still, the faint ticking of the clock echoed through the hallway.

_No, I'm not._

His eyes tightened behind the dark sunglasses and his fingers curled into his palms painfully. The black haired boy resisted the urge to childishly yell that he wasn't, because unlike her, he couldn't afford to act how he is now, he **had** to act differently. He _has_ to. Because, unlike her, he couldn't waste all the training, the opportunity that Bruce gave him for a new life, the _past_…he just couldn't—_wouldn__'__t_. Not because he doesn't want to act like he's not who he is, that everything is _fake_ at school and everywhere else besides the superhero life, but because it was better off this way. Because… (He knitted his eyebrows) because—!

Robin exhaled, shaking his head. This isn't the time or place to think about that.

But he wondered, how long will he last? How long until he couldn't take the pressure of having to keep up with so many alter egos, that he'll accidentally blurt all of his secrets? How _long_ until he'll want to tell someone (_anyone_) about his double life because he felt that there was already a wall building between him and everyone else? That he was already feeling left out because everyone pretty much knows who everyone else is. He knows who they are, each and every last one of them, but what about him? With all of this knowledge, where does this lead him?

Sure, he's already told Wally his name, practically his whole secret identity, but that doesn't mean the happy-go-lucky red headed teenager could understand. It was only half of the story anyways, and even if the speedster tries his _hardest_ to play shrink, no matter how _determined_ he is, he won't be able to. Robin just wants to be able to tell somebody (_anybody_) about his day, about school, about Bruce, about **everything**—_everything_—before it explodes in his face and he can't put it back together.

Now don't get him wrong, Robin knows he has Alfred and even Wally to talk to (not Bruce though, that would be beyond awkward if not embarrassing, for the both of them), but that isn't the same as having a conversation with someone who knows what kind of situations he's in or experiences the same (if not similar) things as he has. Like in the team, at school, at the cave… like…

Like Artemis.

Blue eyes shot up with gleaming realization. The red bird (complementary to his green hoodie today) looked back the way he came from and began briskly walking back.

Artemis… she's… she's always… _there_…

At the cave, in the team, they also fought against the Reds together, heck, she even attends his school! Where he's always messing around with her, where she's so close that it was a crime because he can't tell her anything, where she—

Robin skitted to a halt at the doorway, hurriedly reeled back so he wouldn't be noticed. Robin hid behind the wall as he quickly spotted Artemis where he last left her. She still sat at the counter that separated the kitchen and living room, still hunching over the Quantum Physics magazine he had found for her a day before. He watched her flip a page and he swallowed. The black haired boy let out a breath of relief he hadn't noticed that he was holding, feeling something warm spread in his chest.

Wasn't it…perfectly normal to want to have someone to talk to?

To have someone with similar surroundings (meaning: the team, living in the same city, attending the same school, etc), someone who was just _there_, who he can relate to in some level.

Robin made his way back to the vacant seat in front of her, trying not to look at all that excited, and plopped down, startling Artemis. She gave Robin a confused look, lifting her eyebrow.

"Did you forget something?"

The corner of Robin's mouth perked up, shaking his head. He felt a little… lighter.

Yeah, having someone there, it was… nice.


	4. Nicknames

A/N: HEEYYY you guys! It's the holidays! ; D How I love how much time we have for break! Ok, so I feel…_sentimental_ this break THUS the upcoming chapters might come off a little… fluffy. And I'm really sorry for not updating in a while, BLAME THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THEIR STUPID MIDTERMS...

Anyways, COOL! 6 reviews so far and what's really interesting is that the numbers correspond to the number of chapters! I don't know why, but it's incredibly amusing. So, let's shoot for 4 reviews to keep it going, okay? Or more, either one is fine (hint hint, wink wink).

On a side note, I feel so guilty not adding like, Barbara Gordon or Zatanna Zatara for some reason, especially Barbara because she's close with Robin right? So I feel like this is… conflicting with the natural relationship that those two have. SIGH, oh well I guess. This is about Artemis and Robin! And just them! (With mentions of the Team—I love them too) AND, I really kind of fancy the idea of Robin having an older sister/crush kind of thing with Artemis, just because I'm a sucker for those kinds of things.

**To**** flowergal74**: well, here you go! Thank you for reviewing!

**To**** J-Bird**: I know right! Homefront was just, MMMMM, LOVE IT! Oh, (blushes) thanks!

**To**** TheNightwingfan**: Haha, um, so he wasn't too out of character, was he? AH, IT WAS MY FIRST TIME DOING THIS WHOLE GETTING-INTO-A-CHARACTER'S-MIND THING! Thanks for reviewing again!

Disclaimer: No thank you Santa, I'd appreciate it if you just left the series to their respective owners.

The definition belongs to dictionary dot com... wait, am I supposed give credit for definitions?

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><p>Fourth Bond: Nicknames<p>

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_Tap tap tap_

The sound echoed through the empty room, no one to bother with its sound. The bird perched on the stool in the kitchen, leaned precariously backwards. He rocked forward, then back, repeating the sequence distractedly.

Robin tapped the pen in his hand in rapid succession, his chin rested in the other. He readjusted himself so that he now sat properly on the stool, ready to work on the paper in front of him.

But the pen never stopped tapping.

_Tap tap tap_

Sunglasses hidden blue eyes roamed around the sheet of paper. Clean and crisp. Untouched.

He groaned, resting his head on his arm now. The stool was now precariously leaning forward and the heel of his sneaker tapped simultaneously with the pen in his hand.

What was he doing again?

He was pretty sure it wasn't for homework. Robin rolled his eyes, as if he'd be caught doing homework at the Cave. He was certain it wasn't a report because, one: _him_, doing a report in the kitchen? No, that just wasn't going to happen. If Batman ever taught him anything, it was to keep things confidential to the point of eating the damn piece of paper. Robin shuddered at the thought, that wasn't the best experience he's had. And _two_, well, he would have finished it already so yeah, never doing it in the kitchen.

Was it for doodling?

Nah, Robin does not doodle. If he must, he _draws_, never doodle. Okay, maybe, but only when he's really, really bored. Robin began clicking the pen before finally deciding to draw a happy face on the upper left corner. He clicked to retract the tip, clicked it again to detract. Or was it un-retract?

_Click click click_

Retract

Definition: to draw back or in

Re—a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, used with the meaning "again" or "again and again" to indicate repetition, or with the meaning "back" or "backward" to indicate withdrawal or backward motion.

Tract—to push forward or outward.

If, you know, Robin took away the prefix and every word and root worked that way.

_Click click click_

"—bin, Robin!"

A warm hand clamped over his, jolting him out of his thoughts. He stared at the hand that didn't belong to his, skin color a summer tan compared to his rather pale complexion, hidden mostly from his uniform and love for hoodies. Robin got a good close up of Artemis's long, slender fingers as well as well-manicured nails (that looked _kinda_ sharp…) before looking up at a rather peeved Artemis.

"Would you please stop doing that!"

Robin sat up slowly, still a little dazed at the sudden appearance of his archer friend. He took a quick glance at their hands again before looking up at Artemis' annoyed expression. Somehow, he was reminded of their tag team against the Reds and he smiled at the thought. He placed his chin on his palm again and wriggled the fingers still trapped in Artemis's hand.

"Sure thing G.G., you know, until you let go."

The blonde archer raised her eyebrow before lifting their hands to his eye level before dropping his hand out of her's, but kept the pen. She sat on the stool across him and whirled the pen around, directing the clicky part to him for him to take.

"G.G.?"

Robin took the pen and began tapping it instead, earning an exasperated glance. "Yeah, G.G., stands for _Greek Goddess_. Unless, you know, you'd prefer to be called 'Arty'?"

Artemis grimaced at the nickname Wally gave her. "No thanks,"

"Didn't think so,"

"Couldn't you have thought of a better nickname though? I sound like one of those stuck up snobby rich kids."

Robin turned his hand around so that now, his smile was hidden in his palm. "But it makes you sound so much more…harmless."

Artemis gave him a look that pretty much told him to shut up.

"So, BW, what are you doing here all in your lonesome?"

"Well," He began, but immediately stopped, "whoa, whoa, whoa, BW? Are you kidding me? That's pretty much the worst and lamest nickname ever!"

Artemis smirked, putting her hands up, "Hey, it's not my fault, Boy Wonder that you name is just too short."

He gave her an incredulous look. "What, no way! If you haven't noticed, my name can be shortened to Rob."

"_Right_, Rob like robbing a bank."

"No, Rob as in Robin the awesome, magnificent, intelligent—"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "You need to stop hanging out with Wally."

"—handsome, word enthusiastic, athletic—"

"Okay, _Rob_, I get the picture."

"—Protégé of Batman." He finished with a grin on his face, his chair half on the ground again, half in the air as he leaned forward.

"So as you can see, I have perfectly well established nickname." Then he pointed to Artemis with the pen. "You however, do not."

Artemis rolled her eyes, getting up to go to the refrigerator.

"I think I'm fine with _just_ Artemis." She was pouring herself a glass of orange juice when Robin swerved around in his chair.

"No no no, you need a nickname! You're the only one left!"

"Only one left?"

"Yeah, even Kaldur—no, even Red Tornado has a nickname!"

"Using the first letters of someone's superhero name does not count as a nickname, Robin. You're just being lazy."

Robin stuck his tongue out at her, feeling childish. "So! It can definitely be a nickname, you're just jealous that you only have one name and not in two parts—"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Like you?"

"Well, your name can be shortened to Arty, but you don't like that."

"Ugh, stop calling me that!"

Robin smirked, satisfied with the archer's reaction. He crossed his arms, making a mental list of all the nicknames so far everyone has used.

"Let's see, there's 'Supey'—"

"What about 'Conner'?" Artemis's muffled voice interrupted him, her bright gray eyes gleaming over the rim of the glass.

Robin knitted his eyebrows. "**Fine**, 'Miss M'—"

"M'gann, Megan?"

"Megalicious." Robin said with a straight face and deadpanned voice, causing Artemis to almost spit her orange juice out.

"Pfft, hahaha!" She wiped her mouth, "okay, okay, I'll give you that one."

"Thank you," Robin said, his chin lifted a little higher. "There's also KF, Wallman—"

"Wait a minute; Wally makes his own nicknames, that does not count."

"Well, there is Baywatch." He reminded, and Artemis smiled, pointing at him.

"That is true." She gulped the remaining contents down, before opening the refrigerator to refill. Robin watched her carefully, scrutinizing at her every movement. A light bulb dinged above him.

"What about a childhood nickname?" Artemis choked on her drink.

"What! NO!" She sputtered, horror written on her face. Robin grinned, his hands drummed on the underside of the seat of his stool.

"Oh, now I just _got_ to know."

"Robin," Her voice held a warning tone. "You better not. The only way you're getting _anything_ from my childhood is through my dead, cold lips." Robin laughed.

"You know I'll find out!" Robin sang, and without any indication of an assault, Artemis came at him and had Robin in a headlock. He yelped, his arms instantly went to the offending arm. Robin struggled slightly, his sunglasses almost falling off. His futile attempts at prying Artemis' arm off his neck were leaving him breathless. The archer's other hand was preoccupied with messing up his hair.

"So Robin," An incoherent yelp came from the small bird in her arms, "say you'll forget about this name thing," She lowered her head to whisper in Robin's ear, her voice sounding incredibly smug. "_And I__'__ll__ stop_."

His body warmed up immediately and the way his cheeks were burning, Robin had the feeling that he's going to explode, with his head being the first victim. An odd green apple (how fitting) scent invaded his nose and he cursed silently under his breath. That's it, forget Wally and his stupid head noogies, Artemis was worse!

He struggled against the surprising strength of the archer again, he wasn't going to go down that easily! But he stopped, the heat and scent was getting to him, practically frying his thoughts.

"Okay, okay!" Robin held his hands up in complete surrender. "I'll forget about it, just stop messing with my hair!" (and my head!)

Much to Robin's relief, Artemis released him. He was disorientated to say the least, _heavy_ on the dis. He adjusted his sunglasses and felt Artemis still close to his side. He glanced up at her, her arm still wrapped around his shoulder and automatically his cheeks grew hotter.

"By the way, what were you doing before I came in here?" Her voice asked above his head. Robin began playing with the string of his hoodie, reluctantly admitting to himself that she smelled nice.

"Um, I don't remember." He muttered honestly as Artemis pointed to the picture on the upper left corner.

"Then what's this all about?" He shrugged, and her response was to lean forward, her arm dragging him along with her. She grabbed the pen, and proceeded to draw a circle around his smiley face, then a line and before he knew it, she was drawing a stick figure. Robin saw his knuckles turn white as they gripped the stool and he bit the inside of his cheek, his neck warming up.

Glad to have another thought pop into his head to distract him, he asked quietly, "Hey Artemis, are you ambidextrous?"

He was sure that Artemis was ambidextrous and felt a little stupid for asking, but was too busy organizing his thoughts.

"Hmm? Well, you tell me," She switched the pen to her left hand, and wrote in capital letters, YES, next to the picture. It was nicely written and her hand held the pen comfortably.

"Th-That's totally asterous!" Robin stumbled on his words, noticing that Artemis was waiting for a response. He could feel the questioning gaze above him so he quickly added, "So when you get tired of taking notes with one hand, you can just switch."

Ugh, he sounded so stupid! Sure, state the obvious, so smooth Robin, smooth.

He felt her slowly nod above him and it was quiet for a moment until Artemis ruffled his hair again.

"Hey!"

"I'll see you later, Robin." She left his side, causing his left arm to grow cold from the lack of warmth. Artemis started making her way to the hallway before Robin called out to her.

"Um!" He blurted out, patting his hair down unconsciously. "Where—!" His face warmed up again.

"I gotta go help M'gann with something." She tapped her temple, indicating she was talking telepathically. She mock saluted at him, "Later!"

Artemis was already out of the room before he could respond with a soft "See you."

It was quiet in the room as Robin stared at the paper in front of him. He could faintly feel the weight on his shoulders still and the apple scent wafting from his jacket. Robin pursed his lips and reached for the paper, folding it in halves, then fourths before finally pocketing it.

He needed to dump his head in ice cold water before his face melts off from all of this stupid blushing.

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><p>P.S.: Okay, so…I'd like to ask you guys something. Do you guys care if the chapters are in chronological order? For example, there's a character development kind of thing (even though I can't do character development…) or would you like the chapters randomly? I kind of enjoy the whole timeline thing, but I was just wondering what your thoughts are.<p>

Anywhoo, have a happy holiday! Hope this made you smile as much as it did for me!


	5. Presence

A/N: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG (OVER EIGHT MONTHS ALREADY?)! AND WE'RE ON THE SECOND SEASON TOO? NOOOO!

Anyway, all I have to offer as a proper reason for my long absence is simply two words: HIGH SCHOOL. And many other IRL things, but I won't bother you with the details so I just wanted to say thank you so much for being very, _very_ patient. Also, do not fear! I have not given up on this at all, I've been working diligently on ideas (as well on other fanfic story ideas so look out for those too!).

For this chapter, I genuinely had no idea what came over me when I was writing it…but it was fun! I had originally written something else for bond number five but it didn't feel quite right so maybe it'll be the next chapter? Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy an annoying-little-brother Robin and his little shenanigans with bothering Artemis filled chapter.

And wow, 8 reviews? THANKS SO MUCH! My responses are at the end, so without further ado, here is number 5!

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING from this show but the scenarios!

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><p>Fifth Bond: Presence<p>

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Robin should seriously reconsider his superhero name to something more appropriate.

And what she meant by appropriate, she meant his uncanny ability to disappear and reappear at any given moment. The archer has already thought of a few, but unlike her imaginative, word-slaughtering, nickname-obsessed, ninja-like teammate (Ninja was one of them, she begrudgingly admits), they are, to put it simply, unoriginal and bland.

She thought of Houdini at one odd moment in the morning when the boy in question vanishes when Black Canary's training session began, laughter echoing in the rafters. Artemis shook her head, Houdini's better known for his _escaping_ rather than _disappearing_.

But _it could still apply_, she thought wryly.

Now, the reason as to why Artemis stopped to ponder such notions is because she has the most fortunate (or rather _unfortunate_) opportunity to be the person he enjoys popping up on (otherwise known as his _victim_).

She notices that the bird boy does not do this often with the others, causing her to regard it as her possible status as 'newbie'. (Or he's just being a troll, which the archer does _not_ have trouble believing.)

In conclusion, it was just some sort of initiation.

(The _team's_ idea of an initiation was, thankfully, not something as outrageous as Robin's. She breathes a sigh of relief when all she is asked to do is partake in Wally's ridiculous assessments—which she passed with flying colors, obviously—and eat M'gann's homemade, slightly brunt cookies. There were other things like watching the static channel but she digresses.)

So, the moment she sits down with her sandwich, thinking all is well in Mt. Justice and no one to bother her (strictly speaking, a red-haired speedster and/or a black-haired preteen techie), she doesn't notice the object of her thoughts materialize next to her.

Artemis props her feet on the coffee table, opens a can of soda, and takes a sip. Of course, when she leans back on the green couch, easily not aware of the smirking boy to her left until she glances that way, the archer does what anyone would do in her situation.

She chokes.

And then elegantly spits the contents of her drink into her lap.

Artemis practically throws the offending soda can onto the coffee table, coughing and wheezing, while a fisted hand beats against her sternum. She manages to send the boy (who's trying to pass off his laughter by coughing and not succeeding) a chilling glare over her shoulder. One that promised unmentionable things coming his way but he paid no heed to it. Robin applauds her, grin wide on his face, and shoulders still shaking with mirth.

"That was a _wonderful_ spit take, G.G.," praises Robin. Artemis almost decked him right there. The black-haired boy rubs his chin thoughtfully, adding, "I kind of expected you to spit on my face though," he grins back at her, "so I guess I should thank you for not doing that."

Her eyes flashed over to him again, the mere thought of strangling Batman's protégé coursed through her veins. "That can be arranged," she snarled, voice raspy from coughing.

Robin merely smirks at her. Before Artemis had the chance to continue, something white blocks her vision. She realizes that it's a roll of paper towels and with one swift glare directed at his sunglass-covered eyes, grabs it indignantly.

No other words were exchanged between the two, save for a rough punch on the shoulder and a boyish yelp.

xXx

Artemis has half a mind running her 'superhero-names' by Robin.

She thought it would be good-natured fun, a conversation between teammates, yet her lips are sealed tight when every perfectly good chance goes wasted.

It wasn't a matter of him laughing at her that made her hesitate—psh, as if she'll let something like that bother her in the slightest, irritate her, sure, but bother?

No way.

"Got something on your mind?" prodded Robin, his pointy elbows nudging into her ribs.

Both non-meta humans were leaning against the wall, watching as Kaldur and Connor spar while Wally and M'gann cheer to their right. Black Canary is also with them, coaching on the sidelines.

It breaks her concentration nonetheless.

Artemis presses her lips together in a tight line, sliding her gray eyes off to the side, away from the boy. She's not even sure _why_ she's even thinking about it in the first place. Out of the corner of her eyes, Robin is leaning forward, an eyebrow arching above the rim of his sunglasses.

"It's nothing," she replies curtly. Though after a moment debating with herself, she tells him just for the heck of it (in an uninterested tone, of course). And it unnerves her slightly that he stares at her when she's finished. Laughter and boyish giggling she can handle, but staring? No. One does not _stare_ at Artemis and gets away with it. Her eye twitches before she snaps, "What?"

Robin doesn't say anything at first, choosing to purse his lips and tilt his head to the side. He gives her a contemplating look, but his face breaks out into a satisfied smirk as he nods to himself, looking back to catch Connor land on his back with a _minus five_ floating above him.

"Shadow Master?" There is a hint of laughter in his voice and Artemis momentarily grimaces. "You know, I kind of like the sound of that."

xXx

Artemis usually doesn't get tired easily, but having to constantly dodge and weave and jump through crates upon endless crates began to tax on her stamina. There were gunshots everywhere, making it difficult for her take a sufficient shot. Her drawn arrow is straining against her fingers, shoulders and elbows beginning to lock up and burn under extended periods of missed opportunities.

Her knees throb in sporadic flashes as she crouches behind a crate. Breath slightly haggard, the archer grits her teeth. This wasn't going to stop her—_shouldn't_ stop her—not when she can hear her teammates' voices amongst the gunfire, obviously fighting the enemy.

She wiped her forehead quickly and took a deep breath. The archer closed her eyes, exhaling.

Artemis rolled out from behind the protection of the wooden crate, arrow instantaneously finding a target. Without missing a beat, she let the arrow fly and grabbed two more from behind her. As she drew back another arrow, knocked down another henchman with her fist, and back-flipped away from an onslaught of gunshots, one thought flew into her mind.

She can only be in plain sight for so long.

The archer let another arrow fly, before drawing once more. She could take out one more henchmen before taking shelter.

_Just one more_.

It never happened though as she was abruptly half-tackled, half-dragged over to several stacks of wooden crates. As Artemis had the wind knocked out of her while her back slams against the wall of the crate, she witnesses an array of red and orange barrage on the spot she was previously in. She was ready to lash out some major ass-kicking on her attacker, until she looks up to a scrunched up face of Robin.

"Robin! What are you—!"

"Sorry." He cuts her off immediately. Her eyes narrow at the similar state he was in, breathing hard and sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Couldn't let you end up being Swiss cheese."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Save the food jokes for Flash Boy."

He was peering around the crate, assessing what she could only guess as how many more henchmen were left. Artemis grew acutely aware that he still had his arms around her, one hand tucked under her rib cage and the other on her upper arm. The archer readjusted herself so that now she's peering around the corner of the crate as well, above Robin, with an arrow drawn.

She simply deduced that there was a thunderstorm of bullets raining down on them with wrathful vengeance. And no aim whatsoever. Artemis spots something red and yellow flash by along with the ground shaking somewhere else before looking back down at the silent boy typing furiously away on his holographic computer.

"This mission can still be saved," he said quietly, more to himself than to her. "I just need a distraction, something flashy to draw all of the attention away from the docks."

"Aren't we already _doing_ that, it's like, pouring out there."

"Except that everyone's attention is well, _everywhere_."

Artemis looked over the side of the crate before a thought popped into her head.

"When has that ever stopped you, _Shadow Master_?" she asked, lips curving up slightly into a ghost of a smile. She's embarrassed to say the least, having to mention such a thing.

Robin froze and then looked up at her with a blank face, eyes connecting (at least, it felt that way to Artemis). Despite the way that his bangs stick to his forehead and that his eyebrows are knitted so tightly together, his face cracks into a devious smile, one that made Artemis smirk back.

"You know what, you're right."

And with a cackle and a flurry of a cape, he was off.

Artemis barely had enough time to react, reaching into her quiver to replace her exploding arrow for one of her flash arrows. She aimed it towards the night sky, filled with nothing but endless black.

_Not for long_.

Just because she succeeded into knocking some sense into him (if it was sense at all), doesn't mean she won't help.

xXx

Artemis lets out a large yet quiet yawn as she stretches herself over the front of the couch, glad to hear the satisfying pops from her spine. She settles back, sinking herself lower than her original position as she pushed her laptop onto the seat beside her. The archer ran a hand over her face, letting out a loud groan.

Homework will be the death of her.

Superheroes should just be exempt from doing homework. And essays…and projects…_and_ _tests. _Because in retrospect, they do enough for the world, for mankind and womankind, the least _schools_ could do is give them a homework pass. But no, secret identities forbids such treatment.

Artemis closed her eyes and presses her fingers onto the soft skin of her eyelids until pastel fireworks began exploding behind them. When she finally psyched herself up (only two hundred more words to go!), the last thing she expects was a warm cheek pressed against her own and cool, minty breath tickling her hair.

"Whatcha doing?" the voice whispered and again, she reacted like what a normal person would have done.

She shrieked.

And then punched the boy's shoulder.

"UGH, ROBIN!"

He smirked (though it lost some of it's annoying edge as he rubs his shoulder), resting his chin on his hand with his elbows placed comfortably on the top of the couch. His sunglasses glistened menacingly at her.

She almost bared her teeth at him, _almost_.

She whipped her head sharply towards him, ponytail swishing dangerously. "I _swear_ if you weren't Batman's _sidekick_—"

"Ooh!" the thirteen year old jolted up before leaning back down, a wicked grin played on his lips. The archer inched away as the glistening of Robin's sunglasses became even _more _menacing.

Artemis immediately frowned. She had initially thought the word 'sidekick' was some sort of taboo or trigger word, but it seems it only works on Speedy—oh oops, _Red Arrow._

"Let's pretend that I'm not," he begins, holding his hand out as if he had a microphone. Obviously taking some sort of delight or he had just ignored the whole word altogether, he went on. "What will you do, Miss Artemis of _Star City_?"

She narrowed her eyes, clearly not amused. Before she gave him the pleasure of being answered, the archer placed her laptop onto the coffee table, far away from harm and what she was planning on doing all while keeping eye contact with the gleam of Robin's sunglasses.

With great agility, Artemis seized his arm before he had the chance to pull it back or even think about what could happen next. She twisted in her seat, successfully throwing his body onto the couch. Though he was much lighter than she thought, the boy landed with a satisfying grunt and high pitched 'oof'.

The blonde grinned at his disheveled state and red cheeks as she settles herself down on his stomach, crossing her arms.

"I think I would sit on you," she plainly stated, leaning forward on her knees so that most of her weight is concentrated on her calves and feet, but still wanted enough weight to pin Robin down. Artemis looked at her nails with interest. "But that's just a hypothetical case, because _who knows?_ I wouldn't have had the pleasure of meeting you."

Artemis smirked triumphantly at him whilst he frowned, struggling to prop his arms up.

"I would appreciate if you _get off_." The archer quirked a brow and Robin restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "_Please_."

"That's better." She made no moves to get off though. "Aw," Artemis cooed, pinching his cheek which caused the red on his face spread even more. "Looks like you can't _disappear_ from this situation."

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

He used the element of surprise by jabbing her in the ribs and as she momentarily flinches away, Robin uses the opportunity to flip her over. He sat on her stomach for just a moment to grin and gloat before hastily getting up.

He did stay for just a second longer to return the favor by pinching her cheek.

"Good thing I'm Batman's _sidekick_ then, right?" And with that, he ran straight for the hallway because the murderous look on Artemis's face sent chills up his spine that only Batman can do on one of his off days.

"Ugh, get back here, you brat!"

She was answered with boyish laughter that echoed through the halls.

* * *

><p>Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to review!<p>

**To Masterhalo2056**: Why thank you kind stranger!

**To Cirruz The Night Elf**: Oh you, I wouldn't have known! I like the timeline too because it helps me plan and gives me ideas on what could happen in between each episode. But it has its cons, for example, I have trouble deciding what comes next.

**To Dark Goddess Of Shadows/Flowergal74**: Are these what they're called? Shout outs? Whoo, you cleared my conscious a little with the whole Zatanna and Barbara not having to be here, thanks!

**To Ravenwax378**: You're absolutely welcome! YES, THEY DO HAVE A LOT IN COMMON, OH MY GOODNESS. I'm so glad they sound natural because I have completely no idea if I'm writing their characters correctly or not. I hope this one made you smile as well!

**To Artyandrob4eva**: Haha, just between you and me, I suck at making up nicknames. I kind of just put whatever was on my mind at that time, so thanks for reviewing!

**To Greekfreak101**: Thaaaaaaaaaank you!

**To Yuka Muntou**: YES, definitely! Thanks for reviewing!

**To Lynabelle**: Thank you so much!


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